In this letter
What the Nutcracker taught me about goals
(and it's not "do fewer Nutcrackers"!)
Just a few days ago I wasn't getting through the first act of Nutcracker without wincing.
Tis' the season of holiday doubles with the Cincinnati Symphony: 6 rousing pops, 10 Nutcrackers in five days, 2 nerve impingements and 1... clarinetist down! Some of you are in the thick of 'gigmas' as it's called! My body, which generally has a pretty good amount of tightness from everyday playing, started sending signals with a few more aches and weakness in the hands.
I soaked, stretched and kept going. Not exactly ignoring, more hoping. Because I had a goal: get through the season. Play everything well. Stay strong and healthy. I didn't want to call in sick!
My mind was saying all the right things. "You've got this." "Breathe." "Take it easy, you don't have to push." But soon, I was alternating heat and ice and taking ibuprofen like that was my job. Not because I pushed through one big heroic moment, but because of all the small moments when I chose my mental narrative over my body's truth.
The irony isn't lost on me.
I just spent four months creating a framework for purposeful planning. I love goals. I love the clarity of knowing where you're headed. And especially being in alignment with mind-body-spirit.
Sitting there at the end of one of the afternoon shows, I had a realization. I wasn't. Furthermore...
Your body has to believe what your mind is saying.
They have to be in sync. Not just mentally committed, but physically aligned. All the positive self-talk in the world doesn't matter if your nervous system is screaming something else. The cue words we use, the posture we hold, the way we breathe when we speak our goals out loud—our bodies are always telling us the truth, if we're willing to listen.
In this season of reflection and goal-setting for the coming year this ties into the fact that we are completely obsessed with outcomes. Get the placement. Win the audition. Perform well. Execute. Achieve. Accomplish.
The research on outcomes is fascinating and a little heartbreaking! It turns out process goals have massive effects on performance, but outcome goals? The effect is negligible. Almost nothing.
We keep orienting our entire lives around outcomes anyway, and then we wonder why things go awry... why for example, our bodies revolt. And why we sprint out of the gate come January 1 already totally out of alignment. Heart - soul - mind - body - spirit? It's like my ulnar nerve, impinged! The connection is severed.
It's madness!
How do we fix this? In a few days, the holiday dust will settle. I hope that in this time you'll have a moment to think, to feel. What IF you could start the new year, with deep our heart, mind, body and spirit in agreement?
Try this exercise:
Think of a goal you're working toward right now.
Maybe it's an audition, a project launch, a performance coming up.
1) Visualize it fully. Build a rich idea of it. What does it look like and feel like? Yes, this is on the "outcome" side, but really get observant about the details.
2) Name the goal. Notice your self-talk. What are you telling yourself about this goal? Write it down exactly as it sounds in your head, no editing.
3) Now check in with your body. How does the goal feel? Say that goal out loud—actually speak it. Notice: do you expand or contract? does your breathing deepen or get shallow? do your shoulders rise toward your ears or settle down your back?
Do you feel in sync? Or is there conflict?
4) Shift the goal post if needed. Leave behind the "should"s. What changes?
5) When you've got a goal that feels true, write it down. Now you'll focus on the process actions. If your outcome is "book ten gigs this spring", name the process "reach out to three presenters this week with genuine curiosity about their season". Say that one out loud. Notice your body again.
Different, right?
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The goal of playing *all the nutcrackers* wasn't aligned with my actions and priorities. If my goal is to stay healthy and strong through a grueling holiday run, it's not enough to hold that intention mentally. Do some stretches and expect success. I - especially now - need to put in more time thinking the consistent actions to support it.
The result of my powering through to the outcome is a neck/arm/hand issue that sidelined me. So ...
What your body is telling you:
→ Cue words are important, but you have to really feel it. Your body responds to congruence, not cheerleading.
→ Process goals create expansion. Outcome goals often create contraction.
→ The way you hold your instrument, your workspace, or your life, it all reveals what you actually believe.
→ Alignment isn't just a feeling. It's a physical state you can learn to recognize.
My arm is on the mend. Slowly, the way bodies do when you finally start listening. I'm going into the new year differently this time. More interested in what my body believes than what my mind can convince itself of. Maybe you are too!
One more thing as you head into these next few days:
The holidays ask us to do a lot. Show up, perform, deliver, delight. But what if this year, instead of powering through to the outcome, you gave yourself permission to listen?
To rest when your body asks for rest. To be present instead of perfect. To let alignment matter more than accomplishment.
And if this holiday season feels different for you—maybe it's heavier, unfamiliar, or just not the same—just know you are not alone. Sometimes the most aligned thing we can do is acknowledge what's true, even when it doesn't match the season's expected soundtrack.
That's my wish for you this season. Not more productivity. Not better execution. Just the quiet courage to let your body and spirit tell you the truth.
Happy holidays, may your days be restful and real.
With you,
Ixi
P.S. The Practice with Purpose framework is on holiday special. $99 for the training and two included planners!
Ready to merge the theory (mind) and the lived experience (body) based on a value-based foundation (purpose)?
The framework moves through three parts:
- Your Inner Foundation (getting your mind and body in the same conversation)
- Your Path (building from process instead of outcome)
- Building Outward (taking aligned action your nervous system can sustain).
I built it because I needed it. Because I was tired of setting goals my body didn't believe in.
If you're ready to plan in a way that doesn't ask you to override your body's wisdom, the Practice with Purpose Growth Training might be what you've been looking for. You get:
- the complete framework ($77)
- your physical planner included (a $40 value, shipped to your door)
- training modules and ongoing resources
A system built on alignment, not force.
→ Start your Practice with Purpose training + Planner
The first section of the planner asks you to identify your values. Not intellectually—physically. You'll know when you land on the right ones because your body will tell you.
The Practice with Purpose Planner:
Part 1: Create your roadmap (50 resource pages) To create the clarity where transformation happens, you set up your roadmap, a personal code for navigation.
Part 2: Your dashboard (90 pages) The big picture at a glance—tracking your progress, highlighting what needs attention, and gently nudging you toward action.
What is Music360 going into 2026 focused on?
This isn't about abandoning your artistry for entrepreneurship. It's about recognizing that building a meaningful career IS an artistic practice. One that requires the same attention, craft, and integrity you bring to your music.
We're not loud. We don't chase trends. We don't promise overnight transformations.
We build a career hub, a safe place to dream, where musicians stop performing their lives and start living them.
If this resonates, you're probably ready for what we do.
Come find us when you are.
